RUNEBOUND: Boardgame Review

[Iron_Chef]

It might be nice to edit your initial post with the information that you were playing the game wrong, since that was the primary cause of some of your problems with the game.

Hadn't thought of that, LOL. It still doesn't change my initial rating of the game much, though (maybe to a , as the major problems with Runebound were still caused by the incomplete, very hard to read and understand rules, (not to mention all the problems reading the dice and board) that come with the basic game. The game is only improved significantly when the unofficial AMPED rules (and some of the official erratta) are added in, IMO. The Advanced (official) Rules are complicated to the point of incomprehensibility, IMO... Who needs a page of new rules just to shorten the game (Doom Track)? :\

Runebound is not a good game out of the box without some fairly major rules tweaks, leading me to believe the game was rushed out the door before it was ready. For example, the horribly unbalanced weapons that provide a permanent bonus to attack or damage that cost only 2-3 gold pieces... How those cards escaped playtesting is beyond me. However, the potential for a good game was certainly there... but again, it's only good and fun for everyone with major rules changes. Something we shouldn't have had to do if FFG was doing its job before charging us $50 for an unfinished game. Also, a storage case that actually held all the components properly and separate shouldn't have been too much to ask.

Thankfully, the rules changes (AMPED and a few house rules), combined with the Shadows of Margath card expansion really do seem to make a big difference in improving gameplay. But without them...

At least the changes needed are either free (you can get the AMPED rules free from BGG --- BoardGameGeek.com --- by typing in Runebound and checking the downloads), or cheap ($5.95 for Shadows of Margath) and easy to implement (unless you're trying to comprehend the Advanced Rules, LOL).

I hope Islands of Dread continues to improve the game's clarity and playability. I do greatly appreciate the level of support materials FFG is putting out for Runebound (and so quickly). That's part of the shift in my attitude toward it and a huge PLUS in my eyes overother game companies who are either far too slow with expansions or never bother to release any, despite the popularity of their game (Avalon Hill and Days of Wonder, for example).

 

[Wystan]

This game sounds like a major revamp of talisman the board game, same ideas, same premise.

Runebound: Heroes Traverse a board collecting treasure to defeat the big bad guy at the endgame, taking stuff from the weaker players and having 3 stats, Mind Body Spirit. Heal in City, buy things in the city, advance by defeating creatures and encounters, unbalanced heroes/play.

Talisman: Heroes Traverse a board collecting treasure to defeat the big bad guy at the endgame, taking stuff from the weaker players and having 2 stats, Mental and Physical. Heal in City, buy things in the city, advance by defeating creatures and encounters, unbalanced heroes/play.

 

[d20Dwarf]

Runebound plays significantly different from Talisman. But then, if you had played it you would know that.

I think Iron Chef's being a little too hard on the game, myself. Is it a GREAT game? No, but it's a good game that can improve with new sets. Some of the concepts at the core of the game's design are excellent, and I enjoyed my playing of it. It's not something I would pull out every week, but I'd definitely continue to play it and pursue the expansions.

 

[Iron_Chef]

I think Iron Chef's being a little too hard on the game, myself. Is it a GREAT game? No, but it's a good game that can improve with new sets. Some of the concepts at the core of the game's design are excellent, and I enjoyed my playing of it. It's not something I would pull out every week, but I'd definitely continue to play it and pursue the expansions.

Admittedly, I can sometimes be overly blunt, but that review was my gut reaction to the game, written the very next day after purchase and playing two games back to back. I agree that Runebound is not a great game, but it is definitely capable of becoming a good or even very good game with extra rules tweaks and add-ons. In fact, with the changes to play I outlined today (including my new understanding of the rules regarding activation/refreshing of cards), I will say it is now a good game. I had hoped I'd made that clear in my posts today, but maybe they were hard to see for all my grumbling.

I have high hopes that Islands of Dread and future expensions will continue to improve the game, and make it the very good game it always had the potential to be. Fantasy Flight Games is a great company but nobody's perfect. Runebound, IMO, was clearly rushed and released prematurely, replete with confusing rules, a confusing game board, many embarassing typos throughout the card decks, inconsistent art, insufficient storage parameters, lack of Hero interaction, etc.

That said, I've been extremely pleased with almost everything d20 related I ever bought from Fantasy Flight, and my purchases were fairly extensive between 2001-2003 (afterwhich I stopped playing D&D in favor of Mongoose's Conan and then various boardgames as my group's free time shriveled).

Runebound (once tweaked) is a game I can enjoy playing on a fairly regular basis. I enjoy it enough now to continue to buy the expansions, so coming from a guy who didn't much care for it in the beginning, I think Fantasy Flight (and the online fan community) have really won me over. It still ain't perfect, but it's getting more fun with each new addition. Now that's what I call progress!

PS: I truly appreciate the uncanny pace at which quality, reasonably priced expansions are being released. This new material keeps me interested in playing the game in addition to the new rules improvements.